Ayao Komatsu said Haas is launching a recruitment drive “never seen before” in its Formula One history, after convincing owner Gene Haas and his key lieutenant to make new investments.
Komatsu was named team principal of the American team at the start of 2024, after Gene Haas made the surprise decision to fire former team boss Guenther Steiner.
This came after Haas finished last in the 2023 constructors’ championship and its owner was unwilling to provide further capital until the team had demonstrated it could improve on what it already had, an approach that frustrated Steiner.
Komatsu, however, has always insisted that Haas must be able to do exactly that and, with its VF-24, the team has already achieved 56% more of its 2023 points haul, with 10 races remaining in the current campaign.
As a result, the former Lotus chief engineer approached his bosses to launch a new recruitment drive – which Motorsport.com understands had previously been rejected – after the 2024 Australian GP, where Haas secured its first double points finish since the 2022 Austrian GP.
Haas intends to increase the team’s workforce by around 10%, which currently stands at around 300 people, far fewer than the thousands employed by top F1 teams.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, and Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, with engineers
Photo by: Mark Sutton
“We have shown that we can improve performance,” Komatsu told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview.
“So what we have to convince the owner is the performance. He always thinks: ‘We want to improve, how can we go faster?’. So, if we can demonstrate in small steps that if we work together, even with the same resources…”
“Now, even though we are doing a huge recruitment effort that we have never seen before in the history of Haas F1 Team, we haven’t hired those people yet, so we are still largely the same size.
“But when you work together, the atmosphere is very different. And when the atmosphere is that different, when there is so much positivity, obviously people function better, they produce performances. That’s the biggest difference, I think.”
Komatsu also credits the “massive” impact of Haas Automation CEO Bob Murray’s visit to the team’s Banbury base, winter testing and several races, in driving home the message that, having demonstrated what was possible with the same level of resources it had in 2023, the Haas team could do even better with even more resources.
In addition to the recruitment drive, Haas will have a new motorhome next year for the first time in its F1 history, which the team believes is important to boost team morale and improve facilities for guests and sponsors.
“My strategy has been to bring in people like Bob, who has been Gene’s right-hand man for 38 years, and Gene, and get them to understand what it takes to be successful in Formula 1,” Komatsu explained.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team, Gene Haas, Owner and Founder, Haas F1 Team, on the grid
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“The previous strategy could have been the opposite. But my strategy, from day one, was: ‘If the owner doesn’t understand reality, it’s obvious that he will get angry because he expects a result that we can’t get.'”
“But to make sure his expectations are right, I needed him to understand better what it takes to be successful in Formula 1. And then Bob is a key element. And Bob is a key part of all of this. So, it’s fantastic.”
“And then, what really makes me happy, is that Bob also made a commitment to that when he hired me. He said, ‘Ayao, I’ll support you, I’ll work with you.'”
“It shows that there is a commitment from Gene and Bob, our parent company. And then Bob supports it 100 percent with his actions. I’m really grateful for that.”
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